What is described as the most common quality management framework?

• A. PDCA
• B. DMAIC
• C. Six Sigma
• D. ISO 9001

Answer: (A)

Plan-Do-Check-Act, the PDCA cycle, is a simple, universal approach to continuous improvement. In planning, you identify a process issue, set objectives, and outline the changes you’ll test. In doing, you implement those changes on a small scale to see how they work. In checking, you collect data and compare outcomes to expectations to determine whether there was real improvement. In acting, you standardize successful changes and adjust or abandon those that didn’t work, then begin the cycle again with new learning. This lightweight, repeatable loop underpins many quality systems and standards, including ISO 9001’s focus on continual improvement, which is why PDCA is described as the most common framework. The other options refer to more specific methodologies or standards: DMAIC is a Six Sigma project cycle; Six Sigma is its broader methodology; ISO 9001 is a quality management system standard that uses PDCA but is not itself the cycle.